Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in South Florida Family Events and Recipes
Who is ready for National Apple Pie Day (May 13) and National Buttermilk Biscuit Day (May 14)? We are, and we have our weekend recipe guide to prove it!
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits (courtesy of thecozycook.com)
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons aluminum free Baking Powder, not teaspoons.
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup very cold butter, equal to 1 stick.
1 cup + 3 Tablespoons cold Buttermilk
Topping
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined.
Cut the cold butter into cubes and add it to the bowl. Use a pastry cutter (or the back of a fork) to work it in until coarse crumbs form.
Create a hole in the middle of the dry mixture and add the cold buttermilk and honey. Use a silicone spatula to gently stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. It will be crumbly.
Add the dough to a floured surface and create a rectangle with your hands about 9 inches long.
Fold the left side into the middle, then the right side. (See process shots.)
Rotate the dough so that it’s horizontal. Gently flatten into a rectangle again, and repeat the same folding process 2 more times.
Form into a 10 x 7 inch rectangle about 1-inch thick.
Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut 6 circles. Do not twist the cutter, it will seal the edges and prevent airflow which will hinder them from rising. Lightly flour the inside of the cutter in between. I like to store them in the fridge as I cut them to prevent them from getting too warm.
Roll the dough back out until it’s 1 inch thick again and cut 2 more biscuits. You should end up with about 8 biscuits total.
Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the biscuits inside so that they are almost touching. The close proximity makes them rise better. You could also place them close together on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Combine the honey and melted butter and brush the warm biscuits with it. For more browning on top, bake for up to 5 more minutes at 450°.
Store in an airtight container or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover biscuits.
Apple Pie Buttermilk Biscuits (courtesy of pemberleycupandcakes.com)
Ingredients
For the Apple Pie Filling:
1 Fuji large apple
1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (30 g) packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Biscuit Dough:
2 cups (160 g) self-rising flour
¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small dice
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ to ¾ cup (160-180 ml) buttermilk, cold
For the Topping:
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Apple Pie Filling:
Wash, peel, cored, and sliced the apple very thin.
Place butter in a medium size saucepan or skillet over medium heat to melt.
Add the sliced apples and stir until coated with the melted butter.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, and brown sugar and toss with a wooden spoon to coat until the sugar is melted over the apples for about 2 to 4 minutes. The apples will be tender but they won't be cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool.
Biscuit dough:
Preheat oven (electric) to 425ºF (220ºC).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place flour in a large bowl and add cold, diced butter. With your finger tips or a pastry blender quickly break the butter down into the flour. You don't need to be really thorough here; it should look like a sandy irregular mixture, with some bits of butter in different sizes. So the less you work on it the flakier your biscuits will be.
Stir in the granulated sugar and the salt to combine.
Create a well in the center of the butter and flour mixture and add ⅔ cup (160 ml) buttermilk. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times without kneading just until well moistened and holds together easily. At first, biscuit dough will be rather sticky but it will get a little smoother as you go through. Final biscuit dough should be soft and moist. If necessary, add the remaining buttermilk until no more traces of flour are left.
Place dough onto a floured work surface and shape the dough into a ball and then gently pat it into a small, coarse rectangle.
With a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about ½-inch (1 cm) thick, and 7 x 10-inches (18 x 25 cm).
Place cooled filling evenly over half of dough rectangle except for ½-inch (1 cm) on the edges and fold the bare side of the dough over the filling.
Gently press the edges to seal in the apple pie filling and pat the dough into a 6 x 8-inch (15 x 20 cm) new rectangle.
Slice the dough into 12 squares with a large sharp knife and transfer each biscuit with a flat spatula onto the lined baking sheet, about 2-inches (5 cm) apart.
Topping:
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon.
Using a pastry brush, brush each biscuit top with the beaten egg and generously sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the biscuits are risen and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature.
Salted Caramel Apple Pie (courtesy of sallysbakingaddiction.com)
Ingredients
homemade pie crust (recipe makes 2 crusts; 1 for bottom and 1 for lattice top)
6–7 large apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced (approximately 10–12 cups total – use a variety for better flavor, such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith, or Honey Crisp)*
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust
Directions
The crust: Prepare pie crust recipe through step 5.
Make the salted caramel. You can do this as you wait for the pie dough to chill.
Next, make the apple filling as the dough is still chilling: Place apple slices into a very large bowl. Add sugar, lemon juice, flour, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gently toss to combine. Set aside.
Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. With a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang of crust and discard.
Fill the pie crust with the apples. There are a lot of apples, but pile them tightly and very high. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the salted caramel, reserving the rest for topping.
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
Make the lattice crust: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough out, 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut 16 strips 1/2 inch wide. We always use a clean measuring tape or ruler as a guide to assure the lines are straight. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Using a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang. Crimp the edges of the dough with a fork or your fingers.
Lightly brush the lattice top with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes. If the top of your pie is getting too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. The pie will be done when the caramel begins to bubble up. A small knife inserted inside should come out relatively clean.
Cool pie for 4 hours before serving. Drizzle the pie with the extra caramel sauce to serve. This apple pie is best served on the same day, but it can be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!